Love Is Brightest
by WritingBriarRose
Summary: ...In the dark. Katara was always his forever girl. Forever. Kataang. Slight future fic.


It was late. Moonlight slipped through the curtains as Katara slipped into the room quietly, closing the door, "Kya's finally asleep... she's been so fussy today."

"It must be the heat." Aang's voice resonated from his place in the darkness; Katara blinked to focus her eyes faster, "Although now it's exceptionally cold..."

"I'll start the fire," Katara decided, opening the little iron doors of the fireplace and feeling for a match, pausing when she felt Aang's hands on her arms gently, his voice humorous, "_I'll_ start the fire."

Katara smiled softly, before returning to their bed and flopping down on the left side with a sigh, watching as a puff of fire left Aang's fist to the firewood, immediately starting a heated glow, the outline of his fitted upper body radiating from the orange heat.

Aang returned to the right side, flopping down on Katara's right, his arms folded behind his head. "You know Kat, yesterday I had a really vivid dream."

Katara rolled her eyes at the nickname Aang often endearingly teased her with, smiling as she spoke, "About what?"

"I was sitting across a young water tribe girl," Aang's hand found a piece of Katara's hair, playing with it in his fingers, "And we were talking about the Avatar State."

"A water tribe girl?"

"Yes." His voice grew serious now as he sat up, sitting crossed-legged and took her hand, "She had a ponytail, and blue eyes like you, and she looked like she was 16 or 17... call me crazy, Kat... but I think that girl was the Avatar, and she was in the Spirit World... talking to me."

Katara's breath caught, "Oh Aang-"

"Promise me, Katara," his face was serious, "That you'll help her. You and I both know how being the Avatar is... and from personal experience, I can say there's no better waterbending master for the Avatar besides you."

She smiled weakly, "I promise, Aang. I'll take care of your... next life."

Aang smiled and flopped down in the bed.

"You know, She reminded me of you a lot... anyways, she was asking me about opening the 7 chakras to fully attain power of the Avatar state. Guru Pathik... I haven't seen him in a long time. I'm not even sure if he's still alive..." Aang's voice held doubt, "...And I couldn't be of any true help to her."

"Why not?"

"...Because I never really opened my 7th chakra. I left before I could do it... so my Avatar State was sealed."

Katara's eyes widened, and she sat up, looking down at her husband at her left, "Aang, what do you mean? You used the Avatar State to defeat Firelord Ozai, didn't you?"

"And I'm not sure how I was able to do it." Aang admitted as he sat up, blasting another puff of fire towards the open fireplace before flopping back down on the bed, "I think it had something to do with the time Azula shot me... Katara, when I left, Guru Pathik had told me that if I left before opening the final chakra, I wouldn't be able to go into the Avatar State at all-"

"But why did you leave before opening the last chakra?"

Silence. Aang's mouth was open, but he did not speak. Finally, still staring at the roof, he spoke softly.

"To open the final chakra, you have to let go of everything that attaches you to this world. But when I finally achieved it... I had a vision. It was you, and you were in trouble. So I chose to leave immediately... and when Sokka and I got there... you had already been imprisoned in the cave with Zuko.

After Azula shot me... I don't know how, but for some reason I knew I wouldn't be able to rely on the Avatar State." Aang looked up at the roof, "More then ever, I knew that I would need my friends. And my feelings were true. I never would have been able to succeed in anything if it weren't for my friends."

He turned his head to Katara, gray eyes locking on blue in an almost searing gaze, "I never would have made it if it weren't for you, Katara."

Silence. She stared at him, eyes wide with admiration and surprise, "Aang... you chose me over achieving the Avatar State...?"

He closed his eyes, still and deadly serious, "Yes. And I would have done it 1000 times more if it meant protecting you..."

She stared at him- this man, whom she had found as a goofy, big eared kid of 12 inside an ice berg. Who slowly changed, from a kid to a young man. A hero... her husband, Avatar Aang. She was broken out of her thoughts when she felt him lightly tug at the bit of her hair still wrapped in his fingers gently as he opened his eyes again, her blue eyes falling into his own swirling gray pools of humor-

"Because, you're my forever girl."

Katara burst out laughing as Aang grinned, grabbing her shoulders and flipping her onto her back, tickling her sides and sprinkling kisses across her face and neck and she squealed.

The fire in the fireplace dulled out slowly.

_Love is brightest...in the dark._


End file.
